Rhapsody
by Emi-Lea Deschanel
Summary: It started with harmless sex. She caved first.
1. Day 47

**Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thanks to all the reviewers of Fate in the Music. This one's gonna be longer and more canon. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Hart Hanson or Fox.**

**Rhapsody**

**Day 47**

I don't know why I started keeping track of this. I went back and read my earlier entries and I can barely understand my own words. So that's why I'm starting over again. I'd like to title this entry Day 1, but then I'd just be lying to myself. This is Day 47, and I'm going to refresh the story.

It started with sex. Just sex. Nothing special about it. There as him, there was me, and there was us. We copulated. For what reason I'm a little fuzzy. It could have been alcohol, could have been lust, or it could have been a combination of the two. I guess I'll never know for sure.

We don't talk about it. We just do it. There's no emotional attachment, just two people who need human contact. He calls it friends with benefits. I call it casual sex. Whatever it is, it's not a relationship. I don't stick around afterwards, and neither does he.

Sex with Booth is different than sex with Sully, or anyone else, was. It's us, but it's not us inside. It's like I'm standing outside my body when we do it. I'm not really there, but I can feel it. Every touch, every kiss I can feel on my skin, but when it comes down to it, I never feel like I'm me. I feel like I'm someone else. Or maybe it is me, and I'm pretending to be someone else the rest of my time.

He doesn't call me Bones when he's inside me. He calls me Temperance. And he's not Booth, he's Seeley. It makes the act less forbidden. If Booth and Bones aren't there, they can't get in trouble with the FBI.

I can't help but think that this is going to turn out horribly, horribly wrong.

* * *

Temperance Brennan rubbed her eyes. She'd been at the lab all night, working on a case. The bones were laid out in front of her, piece by piece she had set them together in perfect precision. She'd examined every one carefully, looking for anything she may have missed before. Exhausted, she removed her gloves and descended the platform stairs, heading for her office. She entered it quietly, knowing that Angela was asleep on her couch. She told Angela to go home, but she'd insisted on staying, mentioning something about a bet she'd lost against Cam. Brennan had not been up to arguing at that point.

She removed her lab coat and hung it up before she crossed the room over to the couch. She gently shook Angela's shoulder. "Angela, wake up. You can go home now."

Her friend opened her eyes and sat up slowly. She blinked a few times, probably trying to readjust herself to her surroundings. Brennan moved back over to her desk and sat down, opening her laptop. "Booth called," Angela said groggily. Brennan looked at her.

"What for?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. He was wondering where you were or something, like you were supposed to be with him. He didn't say that though. He said you should call him."

Brennan hadn't told him where she was going to be. She had told him she'd go to his place, but work seemed more important. She had found cause of death. He'd forgive her because of that.

It had been going on for a month and a half now. They'd often find themselves together, rolling around in sheets until they were both satisfied. Then someone would leave. And they wouldn't talk about it. That was it. Brennan hadn't told anyone, not even Angela. She was certain Booth hadn't said anything to anyone either. Brennan would make it up to him tonight.

Brennan looked at her phone, contemplating calling him, but decided against it. She needed some rest, and she would surely see him later. Angela said goodbye and left, leaving Brennan to her solitude. She checked her email quickly, making sure there was nothing important in there before she closed her laptop and grabbed her keys. She pulled her jacket on and walked out the door of her office, closing it behind her.

"Bones."

She looked up at Booth, who was standing a few feet in front of her. She said nothing, but pursed her lips instead, not really sure of what to say. He stared right back. She knew what he was thinking, but he asked the question anyway. "Why didn't you call?"

"Because I didn't." It wasn't rude or anything, her response. It was just a matter of fact. She didn't call, and that's why his phone didn't ring. Her eyes scanned the lab, looking for any sign of life. Seeing none, she relaxed a little. "We're not in a relationship, Booth. You don't need to know where I am all the time."

Booth's eyes narrowed at her. He wasn't happy, Brennan could tell that much. She probably should have called. "I was worried."

Brennan scoffed, brushing past him. "I'm sure you were. And I'm sorry I can't offer you services, but I'm exhausted and I need to sleep." He reached out caught her wrist, causing her to spin around and look at him. He had been worried. Brennan could see that now. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're right. I should have called." If they hadn't been sleeping together, and she was supposed to be with him, she would have called. She wasn't sure why she didn't, and now she felt bad about it.

Instead of saying anything, Booth pulled her to him, kissing her softly on the lips. Brennan relaxed into him, but when she remembered where she was, she backed away. "You know better than that."

"I don't care."

She shook her head and turned around, heading out the door of the lab. Booth was hot on her trail. "Booth, just go. I need to go home."

"C'mon, Bones. Don't get mad at me about that." He jumped in front of her, causing her to stop dead in her tracks before she ran into him.

She glared up at him. "I'm not. I just really need to go to sleep." The sun was rising over the trees, and she knew that her coworkers would be arriving soon. She sighed. "Okay. Look, just… Let me go home now. I'll come back in a few hours, finish up here, figure out who killed her. Then we can go make the arrest, then go back to my place."

"That's not what this is about."

Brennan unlocked her car door and got in the driver's seat. She didn't look at him. "I know." She closed the door and started the engine. She looked at Booth through the glass. He looked like he had more to say, but she didn't want to hear it now. She just wanted to sleep and not think about anything.

**So yeah. Short, but that's the first chapter. What do you think?**


	2. Relinquish

**Wow, thank you all so much for the reviews and alerts on the first chapter! Oh, and this chapter has mild spoilers for 5x16. Sorry!**

**Also, if you're wondering, this story takes place in season five, just after A Night in the Bones Museum. So Tempe is unaware of his feelings for her. This chapter takes place right after the season premiere of five.**

**Rhapsody**

**Relinquish**

It started on a Thursday. They'd already been up all night, and they'd solved the case. It was eleven-thirty, and Brennan had every intention of sleeping all day Friday. She didn't see any problem with going to the bar to have a few drinks with Booth. If asked to reflect back upon that, she'd probably mention that while that wasn't her brightest idea, it did get her to where she was now.

"Alright, Bones. One more…" he said, pouring more of brown liquid into her shot glass.

She laughed and shook her head in protest. "No, Booth, I can't," she said, picking up the shot glass anyway. She already knew she was going to wake up with a hangover, so what was one more shot? She held the glass up, waiting for Booth to clink it with his, before bringing it to her lips and tilting it backwards quickly. She slammed the glass down on the table, wincing slightly. "That stuff is vile," she said with a laugh.

Booth was laughing too. "I know, I know. It's terrible." Brennan rested her elbow on the bar, and her head on her hand, as she stared at the smiling face of her partner. A face that pleased her, one that had seen through the toughest of situations with her. The face of the only man she'd ever known who would literally take a bullet for her.

That's when she surrendered.

It was vast and sudden, but the need that struck her hit her so completely, so abruptly, that it could not be ignored. She knew her face changed. She knew because his changed too. He could see it in her eyes, and she didn't care that he knew what she was thinking. Brennan looked away, pulling her jacket on. She tossed her partner a look, one that said _you better get moving, too_, and he followed suit, putting some money on the counter and escorting her out of the bar, his hand at the small of her back as they walked out. A once platonic gesture that now felt so erotic.

Once they were outside, she turned and faced him. He dropped his hand, and Brennan was unsure of what to do with her own. "I feel like we're having a rerun," she said with a smile.

Booth returned the smile. "You know what they say," he said, leaning closer to her. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome." Brennan stared at him, into his eyes, trying to use her very limited knowledge of psychology to figure out what he was thinking. She couldn't, but she leaned closer to him, her breath now mixing with his.

"Can we go for a different outcome?" she whispered softly, still smiling.

Booth didn't answer. Instead, he put his hands on either side of her face and brought his lips down to hers with a crushing force. Five years worth of sexual tension permeated into this one kiss, a kiss that would later leave Brennan swollen and bruised. But she gave back just as much as she received. Five years of worrying, five years of pretending, and five years of just plain _wanting_ crashed through her surface, knocking down the walls that acted as a barrier between the two of them. Whatever line they'd drawn was beyond crossed. Outside the bar they were everywhere at once, hands pulling, tongues battling, and bodies pressed up against each other. Booth's mouth left Brennan's, and she gasped when she felt his warm lips make contact with the sensitive skin of her neck. She groaned, her head falling backward. "We need to… get a… cab," she said, her sentence broken with breathy sighs. As far gone as she was concerned, she knew better than to drive in her state, and she knew that Booth couldn't drive either.

It took time for Brennan to disentangle herself from Booth's embrace, flag down a taxi, and get back to her apartment. They barely looked at each other during the cab ride. Brennan looked out the window, wondering to herself if this really was a good idea. Probably not. She was drunk. No, she was inebriated, but she needed him. _Bad_. When the cab stopped in front of her building, they went inside in silence, but stole looks at each other in the elevator. When she got to her door, Brennan fumbled around in her pockets for her keys.

Suddenly she was whipped around and slammed up against her door, Booth's lips furiously attacking her own. She fought back, her tongue battling his for dominance. Brennan broke the kiss too soon for either of their liking, and Booth pressed her harder against the door, his lips returning to her neck. "Booth," she moaned. "Keys. Door… Now." He didn't stop kissing her, and she figured he'd ignored her, but she felt his fingers inside her back pocket as he removed her keys and unlocked the door. He loosened his grip on her so she wouldn't fall through when he opened the door.

Inside, it was a rush to her bedroom. Brennan barely had time to look at her apartment before Booth had her pinned against the wall of her bedroom. His lips were on hers again and she loosened his tie, unbuttoning his shirt, and pushing that and his jacket off his shoulders. He let go of her waist so his clothing could slip off his shoulders. In the rush of passion, Booth ripped her shirt open, buttons flying who knows where. He broke the kiss this time, and stole a look at her bra. Brennan was panting, and her chest was heaving up and down with her breathing. "You're beautiful, Bones," he said. He went back to kiss her, but Brennan pushed against him. He gave her a questioning look.

"Don't call me Bones," she said, seriousness in her voice. "Not tonight, not during this. Do not call me Bones."

Booth nodded, getting where she was going with this. She wanted to separate this from them. She wanted to compartmentalize the situation, deal with it when she needed to, and not think about it when she wasn't supposed to. "Okay. Temperance." He pecked her lips quickly.

"Seeley… Make love to me." She was looking him directly in the eyes, and Booth could tell she was serious. The woman, the rational woman who didn't believe in love, was asking for him to show her what it was, what it could be like.

He complied.

**Ohhh maiii gaaaashhh! *Tina Tina Chanuse voice* (Props if you get the reference!) Sorry that took so long! Thoughts?**


	3. Epiphany

**On to chapter three! Sorry the wait was so long. I suck at life. But if it makes you feel any better, this story has an ending.**

**Rhapsody**

**Epiphany**

Sleep had been exactly what Brennan needed. It was three in the afternoon by the time she woke up. She sat up in her bed, squinting in the sunlight that was coming through her window. It had been restful and dreamless, as far as she could tell. Nothing concerned her, not even the Gravedigger case. Brennan swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet connecting with the cold floor, and she stood up, already thinking of her plans for the remainder of the day. She should probably go back to the Jeffersonian, but for once, she didn't want to. She would just rather stay home and brood about her partner and how infuriating he was, and how he could be so gentle at the same time. Groaning at herself, Brennan grabbed some fresh clothing and went into her bathroom, deciding a shower might help. In there, at least she could think about things and have the thoughts washed down the drain. She turned the handle, feeling the water get gradually warmer, before she pulled the knob to divert the water to the shower head. Brennan peeled the clothing off her body and stepped into the tub, sighing as the hot water hit her body.

She stood in the shower after washing her hair, just letting the water cleanse her body and mind. When she was satisfied, Brennan turned the water off and stepped out, wrapping the towel that was folded on the sink around her torso. The mirror was foggy, preventing her from seeing her reflection, but she didn't want to see it anyway. With a soft sigh, she opened to the door to the bathroom, feeling the cool air from the hallway wash over her body. A muted clunk issued from the living room, and Brennan furrowed her brows. She tiptoed down the hall, trying not to draw attention to the fact that she knew someone was in her living room, since she had no weapon. A shadow moved across the floor, and despite herself, she let out a yelp in surprise.

"Sweetie?" a familiar voice called. Brennan sighed.

"Oh, my gosh, Angela. You surprised me." Her friend appeared in her line of vision.

"The door was unlocked and I knew you were in the shower. I didn't hear you come out. Sorry."

"Don't be," Brennan replied, turning around and heading to her bedroom. Angela followed, stopping at the door so she could have some privacy. "What brings you here?"

Angela leaned against the wall, hearing Brennan opening dresser drawers as she searched for something to wear. "There's a lot of tension at the lab, Bren…"

"What do you mean?"

She sighed. "You know, between you and a certain FBI agent."

Brennan paused for a moment, contemplating this. Yes, she and Booth_ were_ at each other's throats more often than usual. And that was exactly the reason that she didn't want to have a relationship with him in the first place, if that's what you could call whatever it was that they had. She pulled a pair of panties on and then worked on her bra, clasping it with ease. "Yes, you're right. But we're still doing our job. We still function."

A pause. "That's not what I mean, Bren."

Brennan popped her head out the door, looking at Angela. "Then I don't know what you mean." She ducked back in her room. Angela followed and plopped down on Brennan's bed.

"I'm talking about the fact that whenever you two are in the same room, it's like you can't wait until we leave so you can tackle each other in a passionate frenzy." Something was under her shoe on the floor. Angela leaned over to see what it was, her eyes landing on an article of clothing that was half shoved under Brennan's bed. It was dark blue, whatever it was. She lifted her foot off of it, still staring at it.

Brennan didn't notice that Angela was preoccupied with the garment. She pulled a shirt over her head and jeans on her legs, contemplating this. Angela was catching on. She knew that her friend was smart, smarter than her when it came to men. And she also knew Angela wanted nothing more for Brennan to be happy, with Booth. When she didn't say anything, Angela continued. "I mean, there's always been some weird sexual tension between you to, and… what the hell is this, Bren?"

Brennan turned around. Angela was holding clothing out, as if it was contaminated. Booth's clothing. Brennan panicked, but desperately tried to remain calm. "Those are boxers, Angela. Surely you know that. You've seen them before."

Angela gave her a look. "Uh, yeah, but who do they _belong_ to?"

Brennan could lie. She was capable of it. But she was not good at it. She could say they belonged to Sully, but she hadn't seen him in three years, so that was not believable. She could say they belonged to Andrew Hacker, but she didn't want story getting around to Booth that she was sleeping with his boss, even though she wasn't. Deciding that neither of these were a good idea, she opted for the truth. "They are Booth's." Brennan shrugged, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Angela's eyebrows raised. She knew what was going on. There was no way Brennan was getting out of this one. "How did they get here?"

Brennan tried a lie. "Last week, during the chicken farmer case. We got drenched with corn syrup. He had a change of clothes in the SUV, and I let him use my shower. He must have forgotten them." Brennan turned back around, fussing with her hair in the vanity mirror.

"Uh huh, and how long have you been sleeping with him?" A smug grin was on her face when Brennan locked eyes with her through the mirror. Brennan sighed and placed her hands on the table top.

"Forty-seven days."

"You keep _count_?" Angela's voice was two octaves higher than usual.

"It's not that difficult, Angela, we started when-" Angela waved her hands in the air.

"No, no, I don't care that you keep track. Bren! This is fantastic! Hodgins will be-"

"No!" Brennan turned around. "No. Angela, you weren't even supposed to know. It was supposed to be… We were just…"

"Getting all naked and devouring each other?" Angela smirked.

Brennan ignored the comment, but glared at Angela. "Relieving some of the tension. It was getting too difficult to work around."

Angela mused this. "Hmm, seems to me that all it's done is create more tension between you."

"Yes, that's exactly it!" Brennan took a seat on her bed next to her friend. "I can't be around Booth and not think of the wonderful things he does to me with his-"

"OKAY, let me stop you there. This is just sex?" Brennan nodded. Angela pursed her lips. "It's never 'just sex' between you and Booth. It can't be. He's in love with you."

"I don't know what that means."

"Love. L-O-V-E. The big one. He can't live without you. He's probably sleeping with you in the hopes that he can convince you that you love him too."

"Angela, he knows I don't believe in that. Love is just brain chemistry."

Angela sighed, resting a hand on Brennan's arm. "Bren, that man is head over heels, weak in the knees for you. And I know that deep down, you are too; you're just too afraid to admit it to yourself."

Brennan looked down at Angela's hand on her arm, and pondered what her friend was suggesting. How could she be in love with Booth if she didn't believe in love in the first place? She did admit there was an attachment she felt toward him, something that made her gravitate to him, but he was her best friend. She could tell him just about anything. She wouldn't be devastated if he decided to end their sexual relationship, just so long as they remained partners. He was the only constant in her life, the only one who'd stayed by her side through it all. The reasoning was logical as to why Angela would believe she was in love with Booth, but Brennan just didn't feel that. She didn't know what it felt like. There was no concrete evidence supporting the fact, and she couldn't believe it without hard evidence.

"I can understand the reasoning behind why you assume that I am in love with Booth, Angela. But there are no supporting facts. To rely on something so inconsequential as human emotion is ludicrous. And I hate psychology. So please, do not bring up the subject until I have had adequate time to deduce my own theory on the subject. I will conduct my own experiment henceforth, and you shall be notified as soon as I have come to a conclusion regarding my emotions toward Booth. Until then, quietly make your own observations and take sufficient notes, and we will compare them at the end of study. After, I will take your suggestion into careful consideration."

Angela had to follow Brennan's words very closely. She was smart, but Brennan's words were what Booth would call Squint Speak. "Okay. Just… Sweetie, be careful with Booth. He's hard on the outside, but he's got a soft, chocolaty center. Don't bruise G-Man's ego."

Brennan narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher Angela's metaphor. Perhaps Angela was right. She would have to be careful with Booth. She didn't want to hurt their friendship.

**GUYS I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I hope you can find it in your generous hearts to forgive me? This chapter took a long time because I wasn't sure where I was going with the story. What do you think of it?**


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